Taking 20 Podcast

Ep 205 - Flavor is Free

There are two types of changes players and GMs can make to rules, spells, effects, weapons, and other aspects of tabletop RPGs:  flavor or fluff changes and mechanical or crunchy changes.  In this episode I talk about the difference, why one should be allowed almost always and why the other type of changes should be approached with caution.

 

#dnd #pf2e #DMTips #FlavorIsFree

 

Resources:

3D Crafts & Curios etsy store - https://etsy.com/shop/3DCraftsAndCurios 

Flavor is Free - https://tabletopbuilds.com/flavor-is-free/ 

Know Direction Podcast Article - Energy Type Rundown by Dustin Knight:  https://knowdirectionpodcast.com/2021/05/foxs-cunning-energy-type-rundown/

Ep 204 - Enemy Motivation in Combat

Not every combat needs to be a slog to determine which side grinds down the other to 0 hit points.  By considering enemy motivations, the “why” of the fight you can introduce more variety to the end result of encounters.

 

#dnd #pf2e #DMTips #rpgcombat

 

Resources:

3D Crafts & Curios etsy store - https://etsy.com/shop/3DCraftsAndCurios 

Matthew Colville:  Why Are We Fighting?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAfPoOxIVm0&t=1s 

The decision to fight or flee – insights into underlying mechanism in crickets - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2012.00118/full

Ep 203 - Smart and Dumb Enemies

We GMs have a certain way of thinking, sometimes lightning quick and nimble, and sometimes more methodical and measured.  We need to learn how to get out of our own heads and think like enemies do during combat.  In this episode, I give you some tips for running very intelligent and very unintelligent enemies for your players.

 

#dnd #pf2e #DMTips #rpgtips

 

Resources:

3D Crafts & Curios etsy store - https://etsy.com/shop/3DCraftsAndCurios 

Keith Amman The Monsters Know What They Are Doing:  https://www.themonstersknow.com/intelligent-enemy-tactics/

Ep 202 - Back to Basics - Most Important Rule

DMs, our job is varied and difficult at times.  We have so much on our plate to get ready for the game that we sometimes lose sight of the most important advice we can heed behind the screen.  In this episode, I’m going to remind you of that advice that keeps your game centered and your players excited to come back.

 

#dnd #pf2e #DMTips #OneImportantRule

Resources:

3D Crafts & Curios etsy store - https://etsy.com/shop/3DCraftsAndCurios 

Ep 201 - It’s Not All On the DM

Players, your DMs love you and enjoy having you at their table but some of them could use a little help even if they don’t know how to ask for it.  In this episode I encourage players to talk to DMs about how they can help carry the burden of keeping a weekly game going.

 

#dnd #pf2e #DMTips #Burnout

Ep 200 - Exploration

Exploration is the shortest of the three legs of RPGs and doesn’t get the love that combat or social encounters do at most tables.  However, with a little planning, and learning how to run a hexcrawl or prepare some mysteries and histories, exploration can be a lot of fun for your entire table.  Plus you will get to hear Jeremy struggle to say Lothlorien.

 

#dnd #pf2e #DMTips #RPGExploration #GMTips

 

Resources:

3D Crafts & Curios etsy store - https://etsy.com/shop/3DCraftsAndCurios 

 

Badooga’s Exlploration Guidelines - https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-MEVza9zokR5wbbwbs5c

 

Sly Flourish article on Pointcrawls - https://slyflourish.com/pointcrawls.html

 

The Angry GM - Exploration - https://theangrygm.com/what-makes-exploration

The Alexandrian article on Hexcrawls:  https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/17308/roleplaying-games/hexcrawl

Ep 199 - Running Social Encounters

While combat encounters are fun, there are two other pillars to tabletop RPGs that can turn a good game into a great one.  In this episode I talk about social encounters and how DMs can get better at running them.

 

#dnd #pf2e #DMTips #SocialEncounters

Resources:

Matt Mercer:  Building RPG Social Encounters - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNoR-CcOtqI

Ep 198 - Realistic Cities Part 2

Preparing to run an entire adventure out of or inside a city can appear to be a daunting task.  With a little preparation and some thought ahead of time, you can run an adventure that never has to leave the city walls.

 

#dnd #pf2e #DMTips #Pathfinder #CityAdventures #AdventureDesign

 

Resources:

Drop Dice Build Cities - https://arcaneeye.com/all/dnd-cities-guide/

 

Dael Kingsmill’s SPERM principle - https://youtu.be/sJd6g--Ok_A?si=G-PsffcBYYpTLRNl

 

More city design goodness:  https://makeaskillcheck.com/creating-towns-for-dms/

Top Tips for creating towns and cities:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJd6g--Ok_A

Ep 197 - Realistic Cities Part 1

Description

Even preparing cities that the party will pass through or only stay at temporarily requires some thought on the DM’s part. In this episode I’ll give you some tips for creating quick-use cities that can help ground your cities in a touch of realism.

 

#dnd #pf2e #DMTips #RPG #citydesign

 

Resources:

Dael Kingsmill’s SPERM principle - https://youtu.be/sJd6g--Ok_A?si=G-PsffcBYYpTLRNl

 

Ep 196 - Problems Not Plots

Preparing your overarching campaign using smaller situational pieces has a number of benefits to preparing the entire adventure as a whole.  In this episode, I talk about the benefits of preparing your game in manageable chunks and give you some tips for doing so.

 

#dnd #pf2e #DMTips

Resources:

The Alexandrian:  Don’t Prep Plots - https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/4147/roleplaying-games/dont-prep-plots

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/comments/16y30hc/can_we_clarify_what_we_mean_when_we_say_dms/

 

Building Situations in D&D https://slyflourish.com/letting_go_of_defined_encounters.html